Field of the Disclosure
The disclosure relates generally to wireless infrastructures for distributing radio frequency (RF) signals, and more particularly to methods, circuits, and systems for cable connectivity monitoring and verification which may be used in determining whether cables in a RF system are properly connected.
Technical Background
Wireless communication is rapidly growing, with ever-increasing demands for high-speed mobile data communication. Wireless infrastructures, such as distributed antenna systems (or “DAS”) communicate with wireless devices called “clients,” which must reside within the wireless range or “cell coverage area” in order to communicate with an access point device and to provide high-speed data communications.
One approach to deploying a distributed antenna system involves the use of RF antenna coverage areas, also referred to as “antenna coverage areas,” or simply “coverage areas.” The antenna coverage areas are provided by remote antenna units in the distributed antenna system. Remote antenna units generally provide antenna coverage areas having radii in the range from a few meters up to twenty (20) meters in indoor applications.
If the antenna coverage areas provided each cover a small area, there are typically only a few users (e.g. persons, or clients) per antenna coverage area. This allows for minimizing the amount of RF bandwidth shared among the wireless system users. The use of optical fiber to distribute RF communications signals to provide an optical fiber-based distributed antenna system, such as by Radio-over-Fiber (RoF) distribution for increased bandwidth.
Radio Frequency (RF) systems include in many cases multiple cables connecting between various boards, modules, or subsystems. The cables are usually connected by the use of either thread or snap based connectors. During installation, it is important to verify that the right ports are connected, and during the on-going operation it is important that reliable connections are maintained. Installations of conventional DAS systems are typically labor-intensive, and during normal operation, cables may become disconnected or require a change in connection between various components. Manual checking and verification of cable connections adds to the cost of maintaining such systems.